Haiden's FIRST Birthday Party!!

The week of Haiden's birthday was one crazy week...
We went to a baby shower Friday for our neighbor, who is now gone :( and Haiden had his first encounter with a balloon. After we came home, and he took a much needed nap, he woke up saying "baa-oo" "baa-oo" and I thought he was talking about the lantern I had turned on. I go on to tell him it's a light, blah blah blah. And he starts pointing at the ceiling, still saying "baa-oo", and usually if we tell him something, he will say it back, and usually it sounds pretty legit. So I am very perplexed with this lack of understanding, obviously on my part, because he is pretty adamant about this "baa-oo" thing. So I try something else, and ask if he's trying to say "peek-a-boo" and I start trying to play with him. At this point, I have finished changing his diaper and am walking him out of the room to go eat, and all of a sudden he freaks out! He starts jumping up and down in my arms, squealing  pointing and saying "BAA-OO"!!  And I look to where he is pointing...lo and behold, there is the pink balloon from the baby shower, floating on the ceiling. I was astonished!! The entire time we were at the shower, I kept him entertained with that balloon, telling him "it's a balloon"...then after a few hours of napping he wakes up with BALLOON on his mind! And not only that, he's saying "baa-oo", which finally dawns on me is Haiden for "balloon"....DUH! So now, needless to say, he is obsessed with balloons :)

Friday night, we head to the airport to pick up Zach's mom and Bob, who are in town to hang out with some of Bob's college friends. They also thought the party was this weekend, and not next weekend...which was okay, since that weekend is also Super Bowl Sunday and there was no way for them to get a hotel and inconvenient for us to house them for the weekend, since traffic would be horrible. After dropping them off down town, we made plans to meet up the following morning for breakfast.
We ended up picking Debbie up, at the ferry, that way we didn't have to drive down town and wait in traffic for hours. While we waited, we walked the levee with Haiden in tow, he had fun pointing out all the dogs, and waving "bye-bye" to all the people walking around. Around 10:30 we made it to Parrot Pete's our favorite place to take friends and family when they come to town. The food, as always was delicious, and Debbie gave Haiden his birthday presents: four books! Which he loves!! And then as we went to drop Debbie back off at the ferry, she suggested we go to the Aquarium! Which was even more awesome, because I had just mentioned that to Zach a few days before, how, now that Haiden was one, I think he is old enough to go to the Aquarium; plus he loves fish! So we ride the ferry and pop out right at the Aquarium, so convenient and awesome, and it's a block away from the hotel Debbie and Bob are staying at!

Haiden had a blast, and he didn't fall asleep!! He was wide-eyed the whole time, and even a little scared! There are a few tanks with outrageously large fish, sharks and gators, that when we tried to take Haiden's picture next to them, he would hold onto our shirts for dear life...it was adorable!!

They also have this awesome atrium full of little birdies! We spent quite a lot of time there, because the birds were so interactive. Debbie had some form of bird crack in her purse, because all the birds kept trying to get in there! They also loved the stroller and Zach, as for me...I said all they would do was poop in my hair...and that's all they did, pooped in my hair!! Zach and Debbie were holding the birds and everything! It was pretty spectacular.
After the Aquarium, we went to grab a bite to eat at a little restaurant on the river, said bye to Debbie, and Zach and I grabbed some daiquiris and walked around the Riverwalk Mall.

After walking around for a bit, and riding four elevators, we ended up in a hippie store...of course. Zach bought a poncho, he hasn't stopped talking about, and I bought some incense, the good kind that is dipped in sap!! Then we headed home to get ready for a bonfire.

Sunday was a day of much needed rest. And Monday brought on a doctors appointment for me and my mysterious bite/staph infection.
Then Thursday brought on another doctors appointment for them to drain my 'abscess' and while Zach did security for an NFL Salute to Soldiers, autograph deal, Haiden and I waited in line to be the first ones in and out.

Haiden was photographed while we walked through the line, getting autographs! At the end of the line reporters swarmed me and Tori, and asked "What's the name of the high-five baby?" I was super confused..."huh?" "What's the name of your baby?" "Oh, Haiden Angello. H-A-I-D-E-N, Angello...with two L's". And after we left the blocked off area, another reporter came up and asked "How old is he? And are you all from here?" "He just turned one, and no we are from Texas, just stationed here." And then I realized...I never asked what thing they were reporting for. So a few days later I googled "Haiden Angello NFL" and this popped up! I thought it was pretty cool, plus my hand is in one of the other photos! 

After we left from that, Haiden took a nap, and Zach finally got done with security about 2 hours after the even was supposed to close. Zach was able to come home, and he dropped me off at the doctors for my procedure. I was more terrified than I have ever been, I have never undergone any surgery...and as much as I was dreadfully scared of childbirth...this was so different. And I was alone. They numbed me up, which they said wouldn't hurt, and it did. They cut me open, which they said wouldn't hurt, and it didn't. They pushed and drained me, which they said wouldn't hurt, but hurt like none other. Then they packed it, which they said wouldn't hurt, but stung and burned like nobody's business! I cried, and got the nervous shakes and laughter out of pure pain, and adrenaline rush. 

So here is the before and after picture, I think it's pretty gruesome, so don't look if you have a weak stomach. 

 And while they were out of the room, I checked out what was in store for me, hiding under the sheet...I wish I hadn't looked. all it did was make me want to run away and say, never mind to the whole thing.  

Then I was told to go get my pain meds, and stay on my anti-biotics and my cream that I was prescribed Monday. I was also told to schedule an ultrasound, and a visit to a general surgeon. This was all due to the fact that the doctor had never seen a hole this deep, 3 inches or more. And because the base did not have the proper equipment to deal with something so deep. The doctor said about 3 ounces of yuck came out, and after she packed it, she wanted to make sure 1. everything was out and 2. that the infection hadn't spread to my lymph nodes, since I was experiencing spreading tenderness. Also with it being so deep, there are nerves and veins and things she didn't want to rummage around in...plus I had already covered the paper covering on the table with my tears, sweat, and a  little drool, out of excruciating pain. 

All the while, having to run around to be seen by all these other doctors, I had more important things I could be doing, such as finishing up baking and making decorations for Haiden's first birthday.

Friday came, and we went to get my ultrasound...sounds easy enough. Well I have a gaping hole in my arm with a shoe lace thing hanging out and they want to put goop on me and press this probe all around my extremely painful boo-boo. Yeah, I was white knuckled and teary eyed after that as well. After I had gone in that morning to the doctor on base, to have it numbed (never works) and repacked. 

And Friday night was a game night at our friends house, and we went to that, and stayed way passed our original 2 hour limit. Getting home around 1am and having to ice Haiden's cake and put the finishing touches on it, as well as pick up a ball pit for the party and take the cake over to the freezer at the Community Center where the party would take place in a few hours! 

And when Zach went to change my gauze for my boo-boo, the packing was stuck to it and almost all of it painfully was pulled out. Zach saved it before all of it came out...but by Saturday morning, it was all out chillin in the gauze when Zach changed it in the morning.

 

Haiden's birthday wreath I made that we will hang up every January!! 

Saturday rolls around, and at 8 am I am out of bed, dressed and out the door to meet up with my friend, who was lending us her bouncy house. Then it was time to set up, get Zach up and get Haiden up and ready for his party!! 

                                                            

The rice-crispy ducks were ready :) and I iced them the day before.....and they turned out like this: 

I made Haiden a name banner, which I have seen at several parties and always thought it was so cute!! This is the before and after shot!

This table shot of the set up, also shows the little jello duck ponds I made, and put some baby marshmallows in and little rubber duckies on top! I also had a few glass jars sitting out with blue rocks at the bottom and ducks inside. 

I made icing covered marshmallows as marsh bubbles, as well as a duck shaped pinata :)  

                      

I also had out some 'duck feed' that was Rolos with little duck stickers on the bottom.

For the cake, I made pretzel grass and reeds to make it really look like a pond. And I used a few rice crispy ducks to add to the cake, as well as blue icing for the pond and green for the grass. 

The whole table finished:

I made a little game of questions about Haiden for the kids at his party to answer and guess on, the one with the most right answers got to eat the huge rice crispy duck. I also made two little lanterns that I put on both ends of the table to add a finishing touch.

As people came and brought food, I encouraged them to come up with a 'Duck Themed' name for their food and write it on a card and put with their dish: 

                                      

We had a ball pit for the younger kids, a bouncy house for the older kids and balloons on the floor for everyone!

Then we had a baby racing game for all the kids under the age of one, since Haiden can't walk yet. The babies raced to get to the pinata duck first!! 

Haiden won!! But it was a very close race! Right at the end after Haiden was in the lead, he stopped crawling and sat down inches away from the duck, while Christan kept on moving!! I was cheering Haiden on to just touch the duck, and finally he reached out and touched it, seconds before Christan! 

Since we didn't have a string to hang up the duck and there were so few kids, I gave Zach the honors of smashing the duck on the floor. After the first smash didn't yield any candy, I jokingly said, "The number of times you throw it and it doesn't break, is how many more kids we'll have!" After two more smashes the duck pinata was finito. 

 Then came happy birthday, after I showed everyone how to sign 'Happy Birthday', everyone pitched in to sign and sing Haiden a very happy First Birthday!!

And now having a little more practice at this whole cake thing, Haiden went to TOWN on this cake!!

And he started getting silly ideas, and having way too much fun!!

Then he starts looking around for balloon...which only means he is hallucinating from all that fun and sugar!

And within 10 minutes...Haiden is finito...

And then the whole family napped for a good 5 hours!
Sunday was the Super Bowl, where we stayed in our pjs until 30 minutes before kick off, and got some daiquiris and headed to our friends house to eat, eat jello shots, and eat some more!

Monday Zach got to go into work early, which was great because I had to go back to the doctor to get my boo-boo repacked. In the end, she decided not to pack it, because it looked like it was healing and had already closed up half way, with no problems.

Tuesday I went to the general surgeon and was told to just let it heal, finish my anti-biotics and then come back for a follow up the next week...so on Valentine's Day I will be back at the surgeon's office to see how everything is healing. I'm a bit leery as I have finished my anti-biotics, and I feel like it's coming back...then again I could just be paranoid...we shall see in a few days.

As for now, I will enjoy the almost painless boo-boo, Haiden turning one and changing so fast right in front of our eyes, Zach's four day weekend for Mardi Gras starting tomorrow, and a very exciting future for the Angello Clan!